The Fight for Snacks
Free snacks in production, it seems like an easy perk and yet… When I first started on the floor, we had trash vending machines while corporate had healthy snacks and a special beer fridge. There was no secret about or attempt to hide to clear divide between the two divisions of the company. Production managers were discouraged from drinking alcohol, within policy, at lunch, where low level people in corporate would have bottles at their desks. The excuses were all about privilege. There's never a reason to drink at work.
Like many production houses people on the front line were always aware of the giant bonuses corporate was getting. Hearing a few people talk about how they got enough to put down payments on houses when the production department got no bonus caused a lot of resentment. One supervisor in our department took to stealing toilet paper. They forgot it was in the bottom drawer of their desk one day and said that they were waiting for the end of the day to take it home. At the time is seemed like a big middle finger at management, except this same supervisor was the reason the department didn't get snacks for years.
Drinks are always too expensive in a vending machine and in Oregon we're charged an extra ten cents per recyclable bottle or can. In an office most people don't bother taking their empties home, they throw them in the recycle bins. This supervisor decided got the idea that this collecting the empties and turning them in would be the perfect way to supplement their shoe collection. When they mentioned it, they were asked if they would consider donating some of it to the office for snacks since the can were from the worker's money? They said no because they would rather spend the money on themselves. This went on for six months before the situation was brought to the attention of the department manager. They agreed that it was fine the supervisor was taking the money because they were doing the work to turn in the cans.
The situation changed when the supervisor left for their next position outside of the company. When they left the team was able to get the exchange of cans for snacks approved! A member of support staff volunteered their time to wash and redeem the bottles and cans. He did this with no reward past thanks and snacks. He even had to pay to clean his car from the spills. The supervisors and manager did the shopping runs, and set-up a snack station. Everyone involved put in a lot of effort, time, and gas money in to support their entire department. The improvement in morale was so positive, and the cost so demonstrably low, that corporate decided to fund snacks for the entire company.
I cringe when I think about how much better life could have been for so many people without one person wanting to take things that other people paid for, for themselves. How many people would we have kept with the attitude change in the department? I loved people’s reaction when we were able to get a snack they had requested. It's a simple thing that made them feel included and exposed people to flavors they may never have had otherwise.
Is it ethical to redeem office cans for personal profit? Comment below!
